Deux-Trois-Deux
by Solvableenigma
Summary: Why must it always rain on this day? Why did she have to die with that smile on her face? What to do with an incomplete family? Death wins again, it seems; He always wins. Is there any way to conquer Him?


Why did it always have to rain on that day? The anniversarial rain was an unnecessary underscore to the melancholy that permeated the guild. It was as if Mother Nature took offense to those that attempted to topple her monopoly in the ability to wallow in gloom; She caused the ground outside to steam and filled the sky with menacing gray clouds that cast a vapid shade on the city.

Inside the guild, however, was the heart of the sadness. Usually the town's lifeblood and source of jubilance, it was temporarily dead, leaving the town comatose. Vibrancy was drained and the colors were diminished in recognition of this day. Combatants and drunkards were now seated together, row after row, in solemn prayer and mourning. Those who screamed now spoke in nothing more than whispers and those who frolicked dragged their feet to their seats.

A streak of lightning soared through the sky, illuminating the faces of those in the guild. The following clap of thunder was so monstrous that it shook the windows in their panes creating an unsettling rattle. The wind howled, slamming shutters against walls.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Always in threes, always. Mockingly.

Those in the guild all rose in tandem as two figures appeared from behind the bar. A petite girl and her massive brother walked down the cleared center pathway. The storm had defied its mother for the time and quieted itself in respect for the loss experienced by the siblings. As the two made their way down the walkway, each member they passed gave a gift to express the deepest condolences that they could muster.

Cards were held in a fan, obscuring the face of the holder. She bowed and held up the card of the High Priestess, a gift in the form of a wish.

"Tuesdays with Morrie" was held out by gentle hands. A simple memoir, a simple gift, a book to be read on days such as this.

The girl broke down into tears as she received various other gifts. A wooden, five point star, a bullet with three initials etched onto its surface, and a ring were all given at once and taken by the brother's large hands, all fitting into his palm.

The doors were near at this point, but still there were more blessings to be bestowed. A rolled up piece of paper was handed to the duo by the one who holds keys, a job request, long since completed.

A statue of ice, made to be in the form of a kneeling being, wings outspread and hands in the form of prayer, a temporary memorial.

Warm hands appeared on the girl's shoulders and she looked through her tears to see a pair of fiery eyes gazing at her. They warmed her being and she desired to be drawn into them, but her body moved forward, escaping the grasp. Words were started, but never finished.

Finally, the doors opened and an umbrella was opened by the brother to shield the sister, despite the large coat she wore. The siblings stepped out into the rain and the wind shut the door behind them, eliciting a loud clap that echoed through the city eerily. Despite the hazardous and disgusting weather, the siblings walked slowly, each step bringing them closer to a place that they knew all too well, a place of violent peace and heartwarming misery.

The two hated her smile, the smile she wore in her final moments. So comforting and sisterly was it that it enraged the girl. Why did she have to smile after everything that had transpired in her time? Why couldn't she cry or feel the pain that everyone else did? What did she do to deserve such happiness and rest while the rest had to keep on without her? What? What? What?!

The girl screamed; it was an inhuman scream, marred by the effects of partial Take-Over magic. Muddled together with half-transformation, the scream had a hoarse, ear-piercing quality to it that made the immediate vicinity cringe.

However painful, the scream was short-lasted as the sister was quickly brought into an embrace by her brother. Astute and focused, he held his sister, maintain the umbrella's small area of sanctuary over her. Saying nothing, he pressed his sister closer and closer until finally she calmed down. She managed to remove herself from her brother's impressive hug. Gazing up towards him, she smiled sadly. He gave a nod and then continued to walk.

Soon the duo came upon the church. An imposing building, crafted from the finest stone in all of Fiore, it was one of the spiritual centers in both the city and the country, providing salvation to those who chose to believe, but it also lended itself as the caretaker of those passed. Those who have come into life only to leave it in endlessly increasing manners now find asylum in the church's graveyard.

That was the destination. Circumventing the church led to a barren walkway. It was a tranquil area, lined with gray and white stone, lovingly maintained Down the path the siblings walked, hand in hand, heads down.

It was curious to the brother, how a path to a place of mourning could inspire such hope. The sheen of the gilded stone was not lost even in the relentless torrent of the storm, and there was not a weed to be found to infract upon the smooth face of the walkway. It was as if the being above had graced the place with an impenetrable veil that warded away the harm done by its daughter, Mother Nature.

The sister stopped, staring forward, eyes not focused on anything but mind recognizing three figures somewhat obscured by the rain. The brother stepped forward, kinfolk instincts controlling his actions. The aggressive stance was quickly dropped, however, as the figures came close.

Comrades, eternal and devout, walked away from the graveyard, expressions terse and movements stiff. In passing, the fellow mourners nodded to their comrades and continued their yearly pilgrimage, venturing off to a land that was once illusory.

The siblings acknowledged the gesture. Finishing the trek to the graveyard, they found the one for which they came. The graves in the area were identical, a light gray with little embellishment. Minimalism was a common motif in this place The only differing aspects were the words engraved upon the faces of the graves. The one in front of which the siblings stood read, "Beloved sister, friend to all demon souls." The date inscribed: X765-X839.

Falling to her knees, Lisanna whimpered. Her eldest sister had died two years prior finishing a mission, ultimately sacrificing herself to complete it. She did not even recall what the mission was. Next to her sister's grave was her brother-in-law's and her nephews, Mirajane's own husband and son, killed in action during a violent guild war. Composing herself, Lisanna motioned for Elfman to move the umbrella over the grave. He complied. Removing the various gifts from her pockets, Lisanna arranged them in no particular order, although she hesitated as she pulled out the aging job request. The paper had been preserved wonderfully but the excruciatingly intense rain would be sure to destroy it within seconds.

Lisanna held the treasured item loosely; it was the very first contract that Mira had ever saved for Lucy; it seemed far too fitting for her to give it back as thanks. Lisanna then placed it back into her pocket, careful not to harm the fragile piece.

A noise caught her ear and the youngest sister turned to find her elder brother weeping profusely. Rainwater mixed with tears seamlessly, but his face was one of deep agony. He repeatedly turned to look behind him, and for a brief moment hope would come onto his features, but it would soon disappear, replaced with its former pain.

"Two years," he grumbled, his voice having taken on quite a gravelly tone in his advancing age. "That was how long it took you to return, Lisanna…" His sentence trailed off and he pushed his arm to his face as he tried not to wail. He had lost a sister once, but she had come back. But her body had simply disappeared; he knew where his elder sister's body was. It was buried beneath his very feet, comforting smile still on its face. He swore he could hear her voice in his head, telling him to be brave, to be strong, to be a man.

Removing his arm, he noticed that Lisanna was now standing. The gifts were now organized so that when one connected them like a puzzle, it crafted the famous emblem of the Fairy Tail guild.

The two siblings remained in silence for quite some time, meditating on their sister's life, reflecting the countless times that their familial bond drove them to be better, to be stronger, to be kinder, to be closer. As hard as they tried, they could not find a reason to regret Mira's death. She had died aging, her body losing its once-famous vitality; she would have had to retire soon as her Satan Souls grew more restless confined to a limited body, so it was perfect that she found her ultimate peace and the Souls' ultimate release in one final battle.

Curiously, the rain stopped. The wind ceased its howling. The thunder and lighting finished their partnership. The clouds moved, but only slightly. A beam of sunlight crashed to Earthland, illuminating a section of walkway behind the siblings.

They turned, Elfman half-expecting to see Mirajane standing there. However, what they saw was perhaps better than their sister's revival.

Before them stood Natsu and Evergreen with five young adults standing in between them. Two girls moved forward and hugged their mother while the other three, two boys and girl embraced their father.

Further behind the spouses and children was Fairy Tail. Young and aging, beginning and experienced, large and small, the entirety of the guild stood there, an impregnable wall of ever-growing family.

Overcome with emotion, Lisanna and Elfman allowed themselves to become absorbed by the guild members. Sunlight continued to expand and cheering and shouting was emitted from the crowd as it did so.  
The anniversarial celebration of a life well lived had begun. There was no replacing family, but no matter how many disappeared, more would always come to forever sustain the happiness at the guild. Though many were gone, it was not time to mourn forever. After all, there was a way to defeat death, and that was too embrace it and move forward.


End file.
